Overprotected
by SouthernStars
Summary: She was dating her brother's best friend. Only her brother didn't know, because she was too overprotected. TxG twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters. **

**A/N: Okay, so I know I should be updating my two stories, however there's been a slight glitch. I've been in a mood where writing has been about the farthest thing from my mind, and writing 'Cat and Mouse' and 'Dangerous Fascination' hasn't appealed to me at all. So too help alleviate this mood, I'm writing this two-shot, which I hope you will all enjoy. This will **_**not**_** be my best, far from it actually, but it's to get me out of this mood that's just frustrating me beyond belief. Also, sometime, tomorrow possibly, the continuation to 'Walk Right Up To You' will be posted, I've been working on that little by little and it's nearly done! Anyway, try and enjoy this and forgive me if its horrible! **

_**Overprotected**_

**CHAPTER 1 **

A moan escaped her lips and echoed around the room as he kissed his way from her navel up to her mouth. Their lips met and the hot, passionate play of tongues had her weakening even before she realized she was. His hands were expertly racing over, releasing pleasure at every place they chose to linger. Unconsciously, she dragged her leg up his side, her foot sliding over his calf and the back of his thigh, as her knee moved up his side, eliciting a groan from him even as she gasped from the pressure applied by his hands. The books that she'd brought lay spread over the table as one of his hands slid down her side, over her hip and to her knee; from there it began to creep up her thigh at torturously slow pace that had her moaning in impatience and pleasure. Her hand drifted from the back of his neck, where she'd been clinging for dear life, to just above the beginning of his jeans and smoothly made its way upwards, tracing the ridges that brushed against her bare stomach even as they brushed against her again. His lips moved down her neck as his hand continued to creep up her thigh, the trail of it leaving a trail of tingling skin after it. As his mouth came back to hers, a knock echoed on the door and she giggled slightly.

"You'd better get that," she whispered and then let out a soft moan as his mouth moved to behind her ear.

"They can come back later," was his reply as kissed from behind her ear and along her jaw. She tilted her head to the side and felt his hand slide further up her thigh.

"Uh-huh." She whispered and pulled his lips back to hers as the person knocked again, loudly and much more urgently. Groaning, he pulled away from her and glared at the door.

"Troy, its Aidan, have you seen Gabriella?" The sound of her brother's voice had them both flying off his bed and searching for their discarded clothes. Gabriella found Troy's shirt and threw it at him as she fixed her skirt so it sat properly. In return Troy threw Gabriella's shirt at her and began to pack up her books.

"Hold on for second Aidan. I, ah, I've lost something." Troy called through the door and handed Gabriella's books to her, while pointing at his closet. Gabriella shot him a look and he shrugged, before kissing her gently and then pushing her towards it. As Gabriella shut the door to his closet, Aidan walked in and looked at his friend curiously.

"Dude, what took you so long?" He asked and Troy shrugged, spying Gabriella's bag just beside his bed. Moving as inconspicuously as he could, Troy pushed the blue shoulder bag under his bed and prayed that there was no more evidence of Gabriella being in the room.

"I was sort of half-asleep and thought I was imaging you knocking," Troy lied and Aidan looked at him disbelievingly, so Troy hurried on. "So, what's this about Gabriella?" He asked, hoping he came off as casual as he shielded the mess of his bed from his friend.

"Oh, well she said she'd be home at five and its now five-thirty and she hadn't called or anything. I was getting worried." Aidan shrugged and Troy glanced nervously at the clock and saw that his friend was right. '_Oops_' he thought.

"Oh. Right. Well, I haven't seen her, have you checked Taylor's?" Troy asked, glancing at his closet nervously when he heard his clothes rustle. Aidan stared at Troy for a moment and Troy had a feeling that he might be dragged off on a search for Gabriella, when Aidan slapped his forehead.

"No! Why didn't I think of Taylor earlier? Dude, you are so much more help than Chad was!" Aidan exclaimed and Troy let out a barely audible sigh of relief.

"Well, your welcome." He said and Aidan grinned at him.

"So, are you still meeting up at the park tonight?" He asked and Troy shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. Wishing slightly that Aidan hadn't asked that question.

"I dunno man, we'll see," Troy said and watched as his friend opened his mouth to protest. "Shouldn't you be looking for your sister?" The question stopped the incessant questioning and reasons why he should come as Aidan nodded grimly.

"When I see her, I'm honestly going to kill her. She _knows_ she's got to call when she's going to be late." Aidan growled, giving Troy the impression of an overprotective father. For a brief moment he wondered who would have been killed first, if Aidan had decided to walk into the room before Troy told him he could come in and he didn't find it pretty.

"Dude, Aidan, Br–Gabriella's seventeen. She's only a year younger than us. I'm pretty sure that she can do what she wants." Troy said with another glance at his closet.

"No, she can't. She doesn't get it! She can't just waltz around without telling anyone, someone has to know where she is!" Aidan exclaimed and Troy raised his eyebrows at his friend.

"I'm pretty sure she gets it," he said without thinking and then grimaced at his words, hoping that Aidan hadn't noticed what he'd said.

"Of course she doesn't. She walks around like she knows all these things, and she's never had experience in life before. She probably hasn't even had-" Troy cut Aidan off before the sentence could be finished, partly because he knew the truth and partly because it was slightly disturbing to hear his girlfriend's brother speaking about what he thought she hadn't done.

"Aidan, shouldn't you be looking for Gabriella instead of going on about her? Go to Taylor's and I'll bet you by the time you get home, she'll be home like the wonderful sister she should be." Heavy sarcasm laced Troy's voice and Aidan stared for a moment, before shrugging.

"Okay, thanks dude. I'll see you at the park later." He left before Troy could remind him that he hadn't said he'd go. As soon as the door shut, his closet door flew open and Gabriella flew out looking frantically for her phone.

"Hey, hey, slow down." Troy caught her before she could trip over his sports bag and pulled her over to his bed and onto his lap. Gabriella struggled for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and thanking whatever higher power was watching over them.

"Oh my God, that was so close." She breathed as she shifted and settled herself comfortably in Troy's lap. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I know. Do you have any idea of what I was going to do to you?" Troy asked and then laughed when she hit his shoulder and giggled in mortification.

"Don't go there. I just heard my brother try and say he didn't think I'd had sex yet. I don't think I need to hear what my boyfriend has to say about the subject," she said with an impish grin that had Troy grinning as well.

"Speaking of your brother, don't you think you'd better pre-warn your best friend that he's heading to her place to try and find you?" Troy asked and Gabriella shook her head.

"Nah, if you give me my phone I'll be able to call him and tell him that I won't be home for a little while yet. Are we still doing the pizza and movie thing tonight?" She asked, rubbing a finger across his jaw and finding that he had a days worth of stubble. Combining the shadow of the stubble, the fact his hair was messy, thanks to her roaming hands and his lack of brushes, and those blue eyes that stopped people in their tracks, it was no wonder he had every girl in the school swooning over him. Mix that with his roguish personality, throw in one heck of a body and you had the delectable package of Troy Bolton.

"Sure. I didn't want to go to the park anyway, I'd much rather stay and interest myself in exactly what I can do to your ear when your watching a movie." He replied, demonstrating by nuzzling her ear and causing her to squeal. Confirming her thought that the best thing about Troy Bolton was he was completely hers.

"Alright, can I have my phone? Just don't do anything while I'm talking to my brother." She warned as Troy leaned over and plucked her phone from his bedside table. Handing it to her, he rested his chin on her shoulder and watched as she scrolled through her contacts and found her brother's number. Holding it up to her ear, Gabriella looked at Troy who grinned at her. Leaning forward slightly, she placed her lips gently on his and enjoyed the gentleness in the kiss before she heard her brother's voice.

"Aidan? Um, can you tell Mom that I'm having dinner at Taylor's? I'll be home by curfew." She said and frowned when Aidan spoke again. Troy kissed her shoulder gently as he watched her.

"What? No, I'm not coming home. I'm having dinner where I am and watching a movie, deal with it. I'm not three Aidan and you're not Dad. Deal with that too while your at it." She snapped and Troy's tightened his arms around her instinctively as her tone turned angry. "Goodbye brother." Gabriella hung up before Aidan could respond with anything, throwing her phone on Troy's bed, she took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down.

"You okay Brie?" Troy asked quietly and she looked at him. Shifting, Gabriella curled herself in his lap so she could settle her head in the crook of his neck.

"He's not Dad Troy, he can't just expect me to obey him," she said quietly after a moment and Troy rubbed her back gently. "Sometimes it's like he doesn't care about me, its all about him. He's trying to be responsible, he's trying to help Mom. He's trying to smother me. Honestly, I can't go anywhere without being interrogated about it and when he finds out about us, God, I don't even want to imagine what's that going to be like." Gabriella shuddered slightly and Troy kissed her nose gently.

"Well, we have to tell him soon. I mean, a guy can only lie to his best friend about how hot his sister is so many times." Troy said firmly and Gabriella giggled at his words, kissing his neck she felt better as he continued to hold her tightly.

She knew for a fact that if her mother, her brother and herself hadn't moved to Albuquerque when they had, she would have either strangled her brother or moved out of the house. Troy was the one thing that had kept her sane ever since she had came out of her room and met him, along with the other friends her brother had made. Troy had been the only one of her brother's friends that hadn't ignored her completely, instead he'd followed her into the kitchen and struck up a conversation as she'd made coffee. He'd been polite, funny and mischievous and she'd slowly come to like the tall blue-eyed boy that her brother had befriended on his first day at East High. That was until she'd discovered that she hadn't slowly begun to like him, she'd fallen for him. She'd then found it increasingly difficult to avoid someone who seemed to be every where she turned, whether at school or in her own home. She'd taken to avoiding him, because she knew that her brother would kill Troy, even if he didn't feel the way she did which she'd thought was highly possible, until the day he'd come over, knowing perfectly well that she was the only one home and kissed her, informed her that he liked her and whether she liked it or not, she was now his girlfriend, even if no-one agreed with their relationship. Even now, after nearly half a year of being together, Gabriella still found it ironic that the one person she wanted to kill had brought her the one person she couldn't seem to live without.

"So, what movies are we watching?" She asked suddenly and Troy hid the relief he felt when he heard her voice return to the happy tone it usually held. Running a hand through her tumbling brown curls, which were slowly growing back to the length it had been when he'd first met her, Troy looked at her innocent face and still found it as beautiful as the first time he'd met her. The sparkling brown eyes, high cheekbones and tempting mouth were etched into his memory so when he hadn't seen her in a while he could still conjure her image in his minds eye.

"Anything, even a chick flick if we must," he said and her eyes lit up at his uncalled for surrender.

"Alright, I was going to suggest 'The Bourne Supremacy' but a chick flick will be just as good." Gabriella tried to bait him into a response and was taken aback when Troy kissed.

"Brie, I'll watch 'The Notebook' as long as I'm watching it with you." He said and Gabriella blushed as he looked at her with the amount of love in his eyes, she still hadn't adjusted too. Brushing a hand through his already messy hair, she kissed him again.

"I like this mood," she said softly and Troy shrugged.

"Good, because I like this mood too." He said before sweeping her up in the air and walking out of his room, causing Gabriella to giggle madly and cling to his neck as they fell on the couch in front of his television. Brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes, Troy kissed along her jaw line before looking at her properly.

"Brie?" He asked softly and she looked at him with a grin. "You know I love you right?" He said and Gabriella's grin softened into a smile as she reached up and touched his face.

"Uh-huh. You know I love you too right?" She replied and he nodded. Reaching into his pocket, Troy pulled out the necklace he'd been carrying around for the past week and a half and prayed she didn't see it. Sitting up, he pulled Gabriella up with him.

"Yep. Now, face the kitchen please. I have something for you," Troy commanded and Gabriella sent him an inquisitive look before obeying him. Taking a deep breath, Troy undid the clasp and lifted the necklace over her head. He settled it around her neck and managed to do up the clasp without catching her hair in it. He knew that Gabriella was staring at it in disbelief and hoped that she liked it.

Gabriella touched the T that now hung around her neck and smiled softly. Leaning back against him, Gabriella tilted her head up so she could look at him clearly.

"T as in Troy?" She asked softly and he shrugged.

"Well, uh…yeah." He replied uncertainly and Gabriella laughed as she leaned up and kissed him. Troy smiled against her lips, before he pulled away and she turned so she had a better angle to kiss him from. When her lips met his again, Troy pushed her down onto the couch and moved over her. Gabriella's hand lifted to his face as her mouth opened to allow his tongue in. Neither heard the door open and close and if they did, both thought it was his father who would see them and leave them be. Neither was prepared for what happened next.

"What the _hell_?" Troy flew off Gabriella as soon as he heard the first letter from Aidan's mouth. Gabriella sat up, her expression horrified as they looked at Aidan who looked murderous.

"A-Aidan, what are you doing here?" Gabriella stammered, standing up and reaching for Troy's hand, praying that it gave her some strength.

"I came to see Troy. Vent some of my anger, what are you doing here, doing that?" He spat back and Troy frowned at him, shifting Gabriella behind him slightly.

"She's here because we were going to spend tonight eating pizza and watching a movie and she was kissing me because she's my girlfriend." Troy replied calmly, already deciding that if Aidan tried anything he would knock him out before he even reached Gabriella. The news that Gabriella was his girlfriend, seemed to immobilize Aidan and he stared at the two of them in complete shock.

"No. She's not." Aidan said after a moment, forcing every word out of his mouth as he watched his sister shift closer to his friend, grip his arm with her other hand and rest her mouth of the back of it, her eyes wide and frightened.

"Yes she is. She's my girlfriend Aidan," Troy said and Aidan's face contorted with fury as he looked at the two of them.

"Gabriella, your coming home. Go and get into the car." He snapped and Gabriella shook her head vigorously.

"No. Mom said I can stay here." She knew she sounded like a small, stubborn child but there was absolutely no way she was getting into the car with her brother and getting yelled at for doing nothing wrong.

"No she didn't, she would have told me." Aidan snapped, his hands curling into fists that Troy kept a wary eye on as Gabriella shook her head again.

"No she wouldn't. She knew you'd blow up like this and she didn't want you to do that. Mom knows I'm going out with Troy Aidan, she's known since the beginning." Gabriella said quietly and even Troy looked at her in surprise.

"She did?" Troy asked and Gabriella looked at him and nodded again.

"Uh-huh. She's known since our second date. She came home and saw us in your car," Gabriella said and Troy grinned sheepishly as he remembered the extra long good night kiss he'd given her.

"Oh." He said and for a moment the tension in the room had left, as Troy looked at Gabriella.

"If Mom knew why didn't she tell me?" Aidan snarled and the two looked at him, Gabriella moved out of Troy's protective shadow slightly and looked at her brother carefully.

"Because she knew that I was happy and she knew that you being you, would go into insane overprotective mode and try and kill one of your best friends." She replied, finally seeing that Aidan was struggling with two emotions. Complete and utter rage at being fooled into thinking that his sister wasn't involved with anyone at all and finding out she was involved with one of his best friends and a purely brotherly instinct that told him to back off and destroy all the false pretences he'd created about her. It would be interesting to see which one won.

"Gabriella, get in the car!" Aidan suddenly shouted and Gabriella closed her eyes.

"No. Stop trying to protect me Aidan, all your doing is making me unhappy! Can't you see that? Can't you see that I'm happy here? Can't you see that the reason I'm so happy is because of Troy?" Gabriella asked brokenly and Aidan just stared at the two of them.

"Get away from my sister." He snapped at Troy and then watched as Troy pulled Gabriella back behind him.

"No. Stop trying to protect her Aidan. It's not helping." Troy said quietly and Aidan stared at the two of them for a moment longer. Then, without another word spoken, he walked out. Slamming the door so hard Troy winced when he heard the glass tinkle as it spilled to the floor. Hearing Gabriella let out a soft sob when they heard Aidan's car speed away, Troy ignored the broken glass and turned to his girlfriend, without a word he wrapped an arm around her neck, his hand tangling in her hair as she pressed close to him and sobbed into the crook of his elbow, just wanting for her brother to accept.

**A/N: Okay, so as I said this is a two-shot!! (Gulp) The next chapter should be up tomorrow, hopefully, and the necklace thing. A friend who's seen 'HSM2' told me about it and I thought that it was cute, so I put it in. Anyway, I hope you liked the beginning of it! **


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters. **

**A/N: As promised, the continuation of this one-shot! Hopefully, this'll tie up the loose ends, you'll enjoy it and it'll get me back into writing!!**

_**Overprotected**_

**CHAPTER 2**

She hadn't been home in a week. She'd absolutely refused to leave the safety of her boyfriend's house, refused to even drive past her house when she knew her brother was stewing on what had happened, coming up with ways to 'protect' her from the harshness of life. Her mother had had to drop fresh clothes over to the Bolton's, when she had; she'd been full of understanding and had spoken to both of Troy's parents, all had agreed that she could stay there until Aidan saw sense or calmed down and accepted that she was living a life that didn't need his approval. Gabriella knew that he was trying to play father to her; he'd been trying to be her dad ever since their real father had passed on after the long battle with cancer. In a way she understood what he was trying to do, but even that understanding didn't change what had happened or the fact that while, to some people, it wasn't a big deal but to her it felt like her world was slowly crumbling away. Her family had been her everything ever since her father had passed on and now that Aidan wasn't talking to her, wasn't even acknowledging she existed, she could feel that everything lessen and it hurt more than when he'd stormed out of the Troy's house after they'd both told her to stop trying to protect her.

Gabriella shut her eyes tightly as tears threatened as she thought about her brother and what she was enduring. Sometimes, when she dwelt on it, it hurt that just little bit more. Swallowing, she reopened her eyes and glanced at Troy's alarm clock. He was going to wake up any minute and she burrowed herself deeper into his arms. They'd been sharing his bed for the week, she hadn't been able to sleep in the guest room and the Bolton's had allowed her to sleep with Troy as long as the door stayed open and they both slept. Closing her eyes, Gabriella concentrated on the feeling of his chest tight against her back and smiled slightly. Troy had been the only person she'd let in ever since Aidan had stormed out of the house. He understood why she was so upset, understood the importance of her brother to her and had held her every time she'd cried about it. Opening her eyes slightly, Gabriella's smile grew when she felt Troy kiss her behind her ear sleepily, his morning greeting.

"Morning." He whispered in her ear, very much aware that she was wide awake and thinking about what had happened.

"Morning." She replied quietly and rolled over so she could look him in the face. Smiling softly at his relaxed face and sleep blue eye, Gabriella reached up and brushed away some hair from his forehead.

"You really have to stop analyzing it, Brie." He said with a yawn and Gabriella frowned at him.

"I can't help it Troy, you know I can't." She whispered and Troy sighed before pulling her tighter against him and kissed her hair as she snuggled closer.

"I know. Just promise me you won't think about it until we get to school?" He asked hopefully and Gabriella giggled slightly and nodded. Both fell silent and Troy eyed his alarm clock with disdain as he watched its numbers change, bringing them one minute closer till his alarm went off and they had to be up and out of bed. Kissing her head again, they both groaned when the alarm sounded shrilly. Troy reached over her and slapped the snooze button as Gabriella moved away from him and sat up. She stretched as Troy leaned back against his pillows and examined the girl in front of him, watching as her shirt hitched higher and the sheets fell lower. Gabriella yawned slightly, before throwing the covers back and getting out of the bed. The shirt she wore skimmed her thighs and allowed Troy's mind to wander to things that shouldn't be done at six-fifteen in the morning.

"I like you in my clothes." He said absently as he got out of bed himself. Gabriella sent him a warning look and Troy grinned back cheekily.

"I like wearing them." She replied and Troy laughed slightly, before going to his closest and rummaging around for a fresh pair of jeans. Gabriella watched him for a moment, captivated by the way his back muscles rippled as he searched and then grabbed her own clothes. As she left the room, she made the decision to call back to him.

"Your jeans are on your desk chair." She called and heard his grumble even as she headed for the bathroom.

HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM

"So, you haven't spoken to Aidan at all?" Gabriella glanced at her best friend, Taylor as she rummaged around her locker for her books. It was free period and she was searching for some work to do, or at least that's what it seemed like to Taylor. The truth was, Gabriella was searching for something that was incredibly important to her. Finding it, she clutched it in her hand and sighed in relief.

"No." She replied shortly and Taylor raised her eyebrows, and then decided to let it go. She could see that what was happening was hurting Gabriella more than she let on and although Gabriella hadn't confided in her, Taylor could tell just by looking at her friend that she was slowly wearing away. Shutting her locker, Gabriella turned to Taylor.

"Oh. Well, are you going to?" Taylor asked and Gabriella shrugged, and slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"I don't know," Gabriella said and then continued before Taylor could say anything. "I want too, sort of. But I don't really want to do it without Troy, he's the only reason Aidan didn't do anything really stupid. He made sure I was safe." Gabriella said and Taylor nodded, before speaking.

"So basically, Troy protected you?" Taylor asked and Gabriella nodded slowly.

"Yes." Gabriella replied but didn't elaborate as she thought about what Taylor had said. Yes, Troy had protected her from Aidan, stood up for her, so why didn't she have a problem with Troy protecting her? Gabriella knew the answer even before she made up her mind to speak to Aidan alone.

"Tay, I have to go and do something. I'll talk to you later." Before Taylor could reply, Gabriella was pushing through the throng of students, some hurrying to class, other idling. She had a vague idea as to where she was going and could only hope that she would spot him before he entered the gym. When she did, she sighed in relief.

"Aidan!" She called out and her voice alone stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and stared as he watched his little sister make her way toward him. Even as he looked at her, he felt the swirling mess of emotions that had haunted him ever since he had stormed out of the Bolton's house. Rage was one of them, guilt another, but this time the guilt outweighed the rage. He could tell even from that far away that he had hurt her more than he cared to think about. He could suddenly see that maybe he had been hurting her for years and never noticed. Swallowing as Gabriella came to a stop in front of him, he shoved his shaking hands into his pockets.

"Hi." She said softly and he exploded, rage suddenly tipping the scale.

"How could you not tell me about you and Troy? How could you sneak around behind my back for so long? Why did you suddenly decide that you could go out with one of my closest friends?" He all but shouted. Gabriella froze completely and took a shallow breath, wishing suddenly that Troy was there.

"Aidan you're not Dad," She replied quietly and Aidan stared at her as she looked up at him with pleading brown eyes.

"Like hell, I'm you elder brother, I took over the job of protecting you when he died!" He shot at her and Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she reopened them.

"What were you meant to be protecting me from Aidan?" She asked softly and he worked his jaw in a circle, trying to calm the rage that had overtaken him.

"The world, getting hurt again, you _need_ to be protected Gabriella. You don't understand any of it." Aidan replied shortly and Gabriella's own temper flared at his words.

"I don't _need_ to be protected Aidan! For God's sakes, I'm seventeen years old, not seven! I understand more than you think I do! As for protecting me from the world, don't you think the world snapped me in half the day Dad died? God Aidan, you're _not_ Dad! You never were! I don't know where this idea that you have to protect me came from, but all you've done is smother me! Do you honestly realize how unhappy you've made me in the past?" Gabriella drew breath as Aidan stared at her in complete shock. "Do you remember those times you came home and I was sobbing in my room? I wasn't crying because of Dad. I was crying because you yet again were trying to _be_ Dad and scared away any real chance I had of having really close friends! You weren't protecting me Aidan, you weren't even overprotecting me, you were downright strangling me! How many times do I need to say that to you for it to penetrate your thick skull? You were killing me Aidan, you really were. Why is it now, when I'm actually happy, do you have to take that away from me?" Gabriella yelled at him and Aidan just stared, completely and utterly shocked at what had just come out of her mouth.

Gabriella stared at him for a few moments, desperately waiting for _something_ from him. When he didn't say anything, just continued to stare, she shook her head and turned away from him. Her bottom lip was trembling and it was only then that Gabriella realized that her entire body was trembling. Taking deep breaths to calm her down, she began to walk blindly through the school. Not taking any notice of where she was going or who she smiled at because she knew them from somewhere. Closing her eyes for a split second, Gabriella opened them as she connected to a solid wall of muscle.

"Whoa, Brie!" Gabriella heard Troy's laughing voice and instead of laughing with him, launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she hid her face in his shoulder. Troy wrapped his arms around her instantly and leaned against his locker as she breathed deeply against his shoulder.

"I talked to Aidan, actually," Gabriella sniffled slightly as Troy's arms tightened around her, "I yelled at Aidan. I've never done that before." She said and Troy stiffened in shock when he heard her confession.

"You yelled at Aidan, why?" He asked and Gabriella moved her shoulders, her face still buried deep in his shoulder.

"He said something about me needing to be protecting and I think I just lost it." She replied in a half-whisper and Troy didn't say anything for a moment, not entirely sure how to respond to his girlfriends latest admission.

"Well, what did Aidan say after you yelled at him?" Troy said and Gabriella moved her head so she could look at him.

"Nothing. I walked away," she replied and Troy sighed. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he set her down.

"Why did you talk to him alone?" He asked, and Gabriella looked up at him intently, trying to decipher his mood and tone. When she couldn't, she looked at her feet.

"I think, I think because I had to do this alone. The protecting part anyway, Troy, please just listen," she begged when she saw him open his mouth. "The protecting part is between Aidan and me, just us. The part about you, me and him, you get a say in. But this part, the one that I've been analyzing for the past week is my part, the one I have to deal with by myself." She said and Troy studied her for a long moment, his eyes softened slightly when he saw the determination and strength in the soft brown eyes that had always fascinated him. He suddenly understood that she had to do it alone, nodding his head slightly; he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. Lingering there when Gabriella's hand touched his cheek as her eyes closed.

"Alright," he agreed and she smiled up at him as the bell rang.

"Thank you." She whispered and then was forced to run as students hurled out of the classroom doors, leaving Troy with a feeling that no matter what, Gabriella was going to settle her demons and wrench herself free of her brother's grip.

HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM-HSM

Aidan watched Gabriella carefully as she placed her books in her bag. He watched as Taylor walked up and hugged her goodbye, and as Troy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her for longer than necessary, before whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. And he could see that she was happy. He'd spent most of his day dwelling on what she had said, unable to believe that he had been so blinded to her happiness, when all he thought he was doing was protecting her. He hadn't meant for it to feel like he smothering her, he'd only thought that he was doing the right thing by her and doing the thing that his father had wanted the most. Aidan made sure that there was no-one around them when he approached her. Carefully, he stretched out a hand and touched her shoulder.

"Troy! I tol – Aidan, what are you doing here?" The sparkle in her eyes went out as soon as she'd seen him and Aidan knew he was to blame.

"Wanna take a walk in the park?" He asked her quietly and Gabriella stared at him. She'd never seen him like this before; for once he actually seemed older than his eighteen years. Much, much older and much, much more worn. He'd been thinking, contemplating, she could tell that by looking at him. Slowly, she shut her locker door and nodded her head.

"Okay," she replied and heard the barely audible sigh of relief he gave. Silently, she followed him out of the school and towards the park. For a brief moment, she wondered if she should send Troy a message telling him she'd be back later than planned and then decided against it. He wouldn't worry. Very carefully, Gabriella sped up slightly and fell into step beside her brother. She folded her arms as they entered the park and wondered why he had wanted her with him. As they walked, Gabriella was under the impression that Aidan was mulling over what to say in his head and hoped that he'd say it soon.

Slowly, he halted and stared at a gigantic oak tree, well over a hundred years old. Gabriella looked at it too, for a moment all they did was stare at it and then he spoke.

"When I was little, I always thought Dad would be around forever, kind of like this tree," he indicated with his head and Gabriella looked at him. "When he got diagnosed, I was what? Fourteen? And I still thought, no, no, he won't die. He's like those trees that live forever." He turned his head to look at her and Gabriella looked at him. "I don't think I ever told you this, but a couple of weeks before he passed away, when I was around sixteen, he took me out for the day? Do you remember that?" He asked and Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, Mom and I went shopping and you went out to do 'secret men's business'." She replied and Aidan laughed slightly at her words.

"Yeah, that day. Well, on that day, while we were having lunch, Dad made me promise that when he died, I would always look out for you. I would protect you from harm, all the stuff, he said, a father should do with a daughter." Aidan gave a hollow laugh. "That was the day that I realized he wasn't going to live forever." He added and Gabriella felt tears prick her eyes.

"Aidan, that didn't mean you, had to become Dad." She whispered and he shrugged.

"I know. But I did and I was trying so hard to protect you from getting hurt, that I didn't realize that I was hurting you." He said and Gabriella felt a tear slide down her cheek. "I'm sorry Gabster, I really am. I didn't mean to be so overprotective of you; I just promised Dad that I would protect you from everything." He said quietly and Gabriella felt another tear slide down her cheek as she watched him morph from an old, worn man to a small, helpless child. Without thinking, she slipped an arm around him.

"I miss Dad Aidan." She whispered and his arm wrapped around her shoulders tightly.

"I miss him too." He replied softly and Gabriella swallowed hard as she leaned against her brother and they both gazed at the giant oak tree. Gabriella's understanding of Aidan and Aidan's understanding of Gabriella growing as they watched the barely seen movements of the age old tree. After a moment, Gabriella spoke.

"Aidan, I have to get back to Troy's." She said quietly and he tensed before nodding.

"Sure, come on, so Gabster, are you going to move back home anytime soon?" Aidan asked casually as they began to walk out of the park. Gabriella shrugged.

"I don't know, I like waking up next to Troy every morning." She replied teasingly and Aidan laughed at her, his dark brown eyes sparkling much like his sisters did.

"Of course you do, and I'm betting there are side benefits to that as well, right?" He asked and Gabriella pushed him as she laughed.

"Yuck Aidan, I thought you didn't want me talking about something like that!" She exclaimed and he shrugged, not at all ashamed of what he had said.

"Yeah well, I had to find out from one of you and I'm certainly not going to ask Troy about it. That could just be awkward." Aidan shrugged and Gabriella giggled slightly, as they drew closer to Troy's house. Gathering her courage, she looked at him.

"So, you're alright with Troy and I being together?" She asked softly and Aidan blew out a breath, already having an idea that, that particular question was going to escape her mouth.

"Not really, but I guess I'll have to deal with it huh?" He asked and Gabriella looked at him curiously as they came to a stop in front of the Bolton's house. Nodding her head, she glanced behind her and saw Troy sitting on the front step of the house, watching them closely behind sunglasses that shielded his eyes from the setting sun.

"Yeah I guess you will. Aidan, I, uh, I have something for you," digging the small, square keychain out of her pocket, Gabriella gazed at the picture it held. "I found this when we moved here and I wanted to show you it ages ago, but I never got the chance." Gabriella handed the keychain to her brother and watched as his eyes widened as he looked at the photo of the two of them and their father, all grinning like they'd just seen the best comedy in the world.

"Thanks Gabs." He whispered and Gabriella smiled slightly. Impulsively, she leaned up and hugged him.

"You'll always protect me Aids, but you'll be my big brother when you do it." She whispered in his ear. Releasing him she waved goodbye before, walking towards Troy, whose chin was resting on his linked hands. As soon as he saw her coming, he stood up and waited until she was close.

"How'd it go?" He asked softly and Gabriella looked at him, before turning around to watch her brother's retreating figure, the keychain, she knew, clutched firmly in his hand. Feeling Troy's arms slip around her waist as he pulled her back against his chest, she tilted her head and looked up at him.

"I think, I think he knows that I don't need to be overprotected anymore." She replied and Troy pressed a kiss to the side of her head, before resting his chin on her shoulder as they watched the sun sink behind the horizon.

**A/N: All done, as I said it probably wasn't very good, but there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed and I hope this means I can get back to my two stories!!**


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